


Thirst (Vampire AU)

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Many Times Seto Kaiba Was In Debt To Joey Wheeler [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 02:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Vampire AU - vampires live among humans and are well known, however Seto Kaiba never wanted to be a vampire. Never agreed to be one, but he is and now he is thirsty, so very thirsty and something smells so, so good. Dare he take a bite?





	Thirst (Vampire AU)

Thirst

His throat burned. It ached like never before and if he was going to be honest, he was a little scared. He had never gone this long without feeding, never gone this long without quenching his thirst somehow. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do next, but he had to do something soon. He slipped out of his car and stumbled into an alley, trying not to claw his own throat out as he stood there, leaning against the cold bricks and begging silently for some sort of relief from his suffering.

God, how could he be so stupid? He knew better than this. Knew better than to let it get this bad, but he had been so busy with the latest game launch that he had forgotten. He groaned, little more than a wheeze coming out of his throat before he heard footsteps. He tried to straighten up, tried to look under control and intimidating, but then he took note of something odd. 

The footsteps were not coming from behind him, but in front of him. As if someone deeper in the alley was moving closer to him. Seto Kaiba swallowed hard, praying it was just some stray animal and not a human. God, he didn’t even think he could control himself right now if he saw a human. His fangs pricked his lip and he vaguely tasted blood, but it did nothing to quench his thirst. The footsteps got closer and he knew, for a fact, it was human. No animal would come this close to a predator about to lose control.

“Money-bags?” a voice called as shoes entered his line of sight.

No, dear god, no! The Gods could not be that cruel, could they? His eyes, rimmed red, snapped up and met startled brown. Shit if Wheeler didn’t smell amazing. Hell, he always did and it’s one reason Seto tried to put a lot of distance between them, but standing here, right before his very eyes? Seto’s self control didn’t stand a chance.

“Kaiba, you look like shit. Are you ok?” he called.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He had to get out of here. He had to get away, before he did something he would never forgive himself for. He opened his mouth, maybe to yell at the other, but all that came out was a desperate moan.

“Seto?” Was the worried call he got in return.

Fuck his name sounded amazing coming from those lips. Seto wanted to hear it again and again and again. He covered his eyes and tried to breath, but all he could smell was Wheeler’s intoxicating scent and god, he was so thirsty. Two steps forward and Wheeler pulled his arm around his shoulders.

“Well, I thought you might be drunk, but you don’t smell like booze. I don’t know what is wrong with you, but you are clearly not in your right mind. Come on. Let’s get you home.” Wheeler said pulling him to his car.

No! He couldn’t go home! Not with Mokuba there! He snarled and ripped himself away, despite everything inside himself telling him to move closer.

“No! I can’t go home!” He snarled, fangs bared.

They locked eyes and Seto saw the moment Wheeler realized what he was dealing with. He smelt the sudden fear and moaned, trying not to get excited about it. His world was starting to tilt and spin a little. He leaned back against the wall and heard a sigh.

“Well, this is just great.” The other said, but Seto, Seto was too far gone to pay attention to it.

He leaned forward, expecting to hit the ground, but instead was enveloped by the oh so amazing scent. Who did it belong to again? Someone important? He couldn’t remember, but he did remember his head being grabbed and his lips being pressed against something warm and soft. He greedily bit down and that was the last thing he remembered.

Next time he woke up, it wasn’t in his own bed. In fact, he wasn’t even sure you could call it a bed. It was just an old mattress, laying on the floor of some run down room. He sat up, startled to find his jacket and shirt gone, replaced with an oversized white one with a hole in it. A quick check told him he still had his locket with Mokuba’s picture in it and he was still wearing his original pants, which had his wallet in them. He sat there, confused to holy hell until a door nearby opened and he was met with a barely dressed Joey Wheeler, toweling his hair dry with only a pair of loose sweatpants on. He must have made a noise because Wheeler looked over.

“Oh, you’re awake finally.” He said hanging the towel around his shoulders.

Seto found his mouth to be very, very dry. Did Wheeler always have that six pack? Or those arms? Focus, Seto! God damn it, focus!

“Where am I?” He demanded, coming back to himself.

Looking around, he would assume he was in an abandoned house or something. The walls were peeling and the ceiling had cracks in it. Even the floor looked unstable and Seto wondered if he would fall through if he stepped on it.

“My apartment.” Wheeler replied and Seto could have choked on his own tongue. 

“What in hell am I doing in your apartment!” He roared. 

Wheeler turned just then and he finally got a look at the other side of his neck. He wished he hadn’t. A huge bandage was there and suddenly his full belly and calmed thirst was explained. Seto felt ill to his very core.

“Your neck…” Seto trailed off and Wheeler stared at him funny.

“What about it?” he asked as he grabbed a shirt from a nearby trunk.

Seto wanted to ask what had happened, but that was clear wasn’t it? God, he had fed from Wheeler. Some small part of his brain cheered, pleased to have finally laid a claim on the human they had been eying for years, but the larger part of him felt nothing, but horror. He swallowed and fuck, he could still taste Wheeler in the back of his throat. He doubted he would ever find anyone who tasted as amazing.

“Why did you let me bite you?” Seto demanded and Wheeler had the nerve to cross his arms and roll his eyes.

“Really didn’t have much of a choice there, Money-bags. Did you know you are a very handsy vampire?” Wheeler asked and Seto really did choke on his tongue that time.

His eyes snapped down to Wheeler’s wet form and his own before looking at the other with wide eyed horror. Wheeler stared at him before snorting and laughing.

“What is so funny!” he roared and Wheeler just shook his head.

“Relax, Rich Boy. Your virginity is still intact. I changed your shirt and jacket because there was blood on it. I took a shower to clean my neck.” Wheeler explained leaning against a wall and vaguely Seto did feel relief.

Thank god he hadn’t done anything like that to Wheeler. He doubted he would have ever forgiven himself if he did. And it was rather nice of Wheeler to change him out of bloodied clothing, though he did wonder if he could get that jacket back. Probably not.

“How long have I been out?” Seto asked after about five minutes of silence and Wheeler blinked.

“About four hours. Called Mokuba for you, by the way.” Wheeler stated and he felt cold.

“What did you tell him?” Seto demanded as he got to his feet.

He definitely felt a lot better and stronger too. Actually, he felt stronger now than he usually did after feeding. That was odd.

“Relax, Money-bags. Told him you got into a little fender bender and that you were upset. He has someone waiting outside to pick you up.” Wheeler nodded to the window.

A quick glance outside told him there was a security car waiting and he felt better. He paused and looked at Wheeler, eying him like something he had never seen before.

“You lied to Mobuka...for me?” he questioned and Wheeler shrugged.

“When I told you I was going to take you home last night, you freaked. I figured maybe Mokuba either didn’t know about this or he didn’t know how bad you were. Figured it was best to leave it to you to explain.” Wheeler stated.

“And my car?” Seto asked, though he really didn’t care. 

“Out back. I did make a small dent in it for the cover story.” Wheeler said and though he wasn’t pleased his car was damaged, he figured it was better than nothing.

Seto stood there, staring at Wheeler, who seemed to have decided the conversation was over and was moving around his room like he was going about his normal routine. He eyed the places Wheeler stepped, noting that he specifically stepped over certain floorboards. Again, Seto was reminded about where Wheeler lived and mentally scowled. This was unacceptable. He could not believe this was the squalor that Wheeler lived in.

Something else caught his attention just then and it was just as confusing as everything else he was slowly learning about this man. There were no pictures, no trinkets, no nothing. Besides the mattress, the trunk and the mirror on the wall, it looked like Wheeler had nothing else to his name. Seto wanted to ask, he really did, but how do you? How do you ask about something like this? So he didn’t.

“My jacket?” he asked and Wheeler blinked before going into the bathroom again.

He came out with it on a hanger, which startled Seto for a moment. The coat did have some blood on it, but he figured he paid enough money to get them dry cleaned that they should be able to get it out. He took the coat back and frowned.

“I’ll walk you out.” Wheeler said thumbing the door and Seto nodded.

He needed to get home, needed time to think about what just happened and figure out a strategy from here. Walking into the hall made him pause and wince, it smelled like old sex and smoke. Wheeler didn’t seem to care, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he led Seto down and outside. They saw very few people as they walked, but Wheeler just looked straight ahead, never acknowledging anyone until they hit the bottom floor. A man with a woman pressed against his side called out.

“Yo, Wheeler! Who’s ya friend?” he asked with a toothy grin as the woman pressed against him gave a sickly laugh that ended in a hacking cough.

“Mind ya own damn business.” Wheeler hissed coldly and the man held up his hands.

“Relax, man. Just curious.” he said, but Wheeler snorted.

“Ya ain’t curious about shit, don’t fucking lie to me, Hash.” Wheeler snapped again.

“Mind ya own business and I won’t have to knock out your last good tooth.” Wheeler growled.

The two quickly fled and Seto stood there, wondering. They were grown ass adults, but they had bolted like scared children.

“Ignore them. They think they are so cool, but he’s a high school dropout loser and she is nothing more than his show piece.” Wheeler stated.

Seto mentally winced at the thought. The fact that Wheeler knew them by name told him way too much. As he stepped outside, he nodded to the driver, who got in the car and got it started. Looking at Wheeler, Seto paused. Wheeler has saved his life and probably his reputation. If anyone else had stumbled across him, it could have ended badly. Hell, Wheeler could use this for blackmail material if he wanted to whispered one small part of his brain, but there was a much larger part of Seto that knew Wheeler would never breathe a word of this to anyone. And for that he was grateful.

“Wheeler.” He started, but was cut off.

“Just get home, ok Money-bags? I promised your brother I would take care of you and I did, so get home safe and we can worry about it later.” Wheeler shrugged and Seto nodded slowly, but didn’t move.

“Look, if it makes you feel better, you are not the first one to use me as a bank blood, ok? So just relax.” Wheeler smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes and Seto swallowed hard because that very idea made his skin crawl and he didn’t want to think about it, but he was positive those words would haunt him for days to come.

“Fine, Mutt. I’ll tell Mokuba you kept your word.” Seto said stiffly before climbing in the car. 

Seto’s driver took off and Seto watched in the mirror as Wheeler faded into the background before disappearing completely. When he got home, he got an earful from Mokuba, but he found himself distracted, pissing off Mokuba more and sending him stomping off. Seto sighed and moved to his office, but quickly realized no work was going to get done today. Instead he sat there, thinking over what he had learned before picking up the phone. Two rings later and the was an answer.

“Money-bags? You ok?” Wheeler’s voice answered and he sighed.

“I need to know how I can pay you back. I never asked earlier.” Seto explained and Wheeler hummed.

“Not sure. I mean I don’t need much.” He replied and Seto grit his teeth.

“A new apartment is something I would ask for.” Seto snarked and Wheeler snorted.

“I like my apartment.” Wheeler snapped and Seto relaxed a bit.

“Fine, Mutt. What about a new wardrobe then? You could use one.” Seto stated.

“My clothes are fine, asshole. I don’t need new ones.” Wheeler snorted and Seto huffed.

“What about a better bed? I can tell you your’s is awful.” He said.

Wheeler was quiet on the other end, maybe considering it before sighing.

“Nah, no good on that one. It’s probably be stolen on the first day. Can’t even trust the locks around this place.” Wheeler muttered and Seto paused.

The empty room suddenly made a lot of sense. There is no reason to break in if he has nothing to steal. He couldn’t tell if that made him feel better or worse for figuring that out. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on.

“Then what, Wheeler?” He snapped and Wheeler was quiet before finally speaking.

“Serenity started taking some photography classes recently. I was helping her pay for them, but I’m a little behind. Can you spot me for one month’s worth of classes?” Wheeler sounded like he wanted to die as he admitted that, but Seto could also hear the love he had for his sister.

“A month? Please. That check is probably not even worth the paper it would be printed on. I’ll pay for all her classes for the next three years.” Seto replied.

He heard Wheeler stutter and stumble over his words, but with a few taps of the keys it was done. He snorted mentally, the end total didn’t even make a tiny dent in their checking account.

“Already done, Mutt. Say thank you.” He smirked.

He could hear the rage in the other’s tone when he finally spat out the “thank you” before hanging up. Feeling pleased that he had paid the other back, he managed to get his mind back on work and crank out what he needed to get done for the day. Yet as the day wore on, one question still bothered him: who was the other vampire that had fed from Wheeler before him? The idea plagued him and he wondered deeply about it before pausing, one term finally catching his attention.

“Blood bank.” Seto muttered before frowning.

A blood bank was a very derogatory term for someone a vampire feeds from. Usually they were called donors. The fact that Wheeler used it so simply and easily made Seto wince. Most vampires didn’t even use the term anymore, not since the old days, so how would Wheeler know about it? He pulled out his cell and made a call.

“Roland, I want you to look into something for me.” Seto stated.

Two days later, he had his answer. Staring down at the file, he frowned deeply. Roland had managed to track down the vampire he believed had fed from Wheeler before and, from what he read, the vampire was little more than a bloodthirsty monster. In fact, he was currently on death row for draining the life out of four people. He was an ex-gang member, a part of Wheeler’s old crew as far as Roland could find. Rubbing his eyes, he wondered why this bothered him so. It was really up to the donor and the vampire how this all worked out, but he wasn’t getting that Wheeler had much say in any of this. Maybe he had been manipulated? It was possible.

There was one person who would know best and based on the knock at his door, he was here. Tristan walked in with confusion on his face, absolutely puzzled why Kaiba of all people wanted to see him.

“Uh hi?” Tristan said with a wave.

Seto cut right to the point.

“What do you know about the relationship between Wheeler and a man named Ramos?” he asked.

Tristan paled so fast that Seto was almost a bit worried. He stumbled over to a chair and sat down, looking very nervous.

“Ramos? Jesus. I haven’t heard that name in years.” Tristan trailed off, but Seto coughed.

“Some time today.” he drawled and Tristan frowned.

“I know they were a thing when Joey and I were younger, but I never knew the full extent of their relationship.” Tristan stated.

He was lying and Seto could smell it. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re lying. And badly at that.” Seto pointed out and Tristan flushed.

“Look, it isn’t my place to talk about Joey’s...past.” he stopped before looking away.

“But?” Seto pressed and Tristan looked at him.

“But if you are curious, you are for a reason and I am praying it’s not for the reason I think it is. Please tell me he’s still locked up.” Tristan said and Seto nodded.

The relief was so clear on his face that Seto was a bit perplexed. 

“That’s good. Great even.” Tristan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“As far as I can tell, he’s still waiting for his execution date.” Seto replied and Tristan nodded.

“I am too. Gonna sit in the front row when they finally fry him.” Tristan muttered and Seto’s eyebrow raised.

“You hate him that much?” Seto asked curiously and Tristan seemed to come back to himself.

He leaned back and crossed his arms. Seto could feel the other shutting him out and growled.

“Listen, I’ve had a problem with the guy for years and believe me, there is no lost love between us. If I had my way, he would already be six feet under.” Tristan complained.

“I am sensing a ‘but’ in there.” Seto stated and Tristan sighed.

“Joey and he were close for a long time before I came along. After we became friends, I saw a side of him I never wanted to see. He was possessive and controlling, twisting everything around him to keep Joey by his side. When that didn’t work, he tried….other ways.” Tristan swallowed hard and Seto frowned.

“He’s a vampire.” Seto stated and Tristan’s eyes widened before he nodded.

“Yeah, and a nasty one at that. I always believed he was like addicted to Joey’s blood or something.” Tristan admitted and Seto could see why.

Even though it had been days, he still could some times taste Wheeler in the back of his throat and god if the taste wasn’t amazing. Any vampire worth their salt would keep Wheeler all to themselves if they could.

“Why are you asking? I mean what does this have to do with you?” Tristan asked and Seto wondered himself.

“I am simply making sure my duelists are protected from outside threats.” he replied, but Tristan snorted.

“Kaiba, even I can tell that’s a bullshit lie. Does this have something to do with the huge bandage on Joey’s neck?” Tristan asked and Seto paused.

Wheeler was still wearing the bandage? Those wounds should have healed by now. Seto frowned deeply and looked away. Tristan was staring at him, wheels turning in his head before he scowled.

“Are you the cause for that bite?” he demanded coldly and Seto looked at him.

Tristan jumped to his feet and slammed his hands on the desk. He was cursing up a storm, using every word he had in his vocabulary. Seto would have been impressed if it wasn’t aimed at him.

“Sit. Down.” Seto growled and Tristan stood there before throwing himself back into his chair.

“What happened between Wheeler and I is none of your business.” Seto started and ignored Tristan when he tried to cut him off.

“However I do agree with you about Ramos’ addiction. I can honestly say Wheeler’s blood is quite addicting, but it's the way he views it that is disappointing.” Seto trailed off before sighing.

“He called himself a blood bank.” Seto muttered and Tristan looked shocked, but not surprised.

“Honestly, if Ramos was feeding from him, then it’s probably from him.” Tristan muttered.

“He always did take shit like that to heart.” Tristan sighed.

“So what are you going to do?” Tristan asked, but Seto didn’t have an answer.

He wasn’t even sure why he was doing this, going this far. It didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t let it go.

“I’ll let you know when I decide to.” Seto finished and with a wave, sent Tristan on his way.

Leaning back in his chair, he did wonder: so what now?


End file.
